From the Day-Glo harmony of the Beach Boys to the violent tremolo of the opening notes to Dick Dale's "Misirlou," something about surf music just stirs the soul.
Florida-based group Surfer Blood mixes a little indie-rock angst in amongst the waves on "Astro Coast," putting together a sunny record that occasionally wanders into a darker undertow.
With big, shout-along hooks and lithe guitar licks both awash in reverb, tracks like "Take It Easy" and "Swim" are joyous romps on the beach; on the flip side, the moody "Harmonix" is just as advertised, a slightly spooky jam built almost entirely on harmonic overtones.
"Neighbor Riffs" builds waves of distortion over two minutes of instrumental overdrive, and "Anchorage" works a tense riff before turning itself inside out.
"Astro Coast" is a great guitar album without trying too hard. Simple, effective riffs are maximized through the record's muddy atmosphere that recalls some of Weezer's most joyously distorted moments while keeping a style all its own.
It might not be the next "Pet Sounds," but Surfer Blood have a mighty strong debut on their hands.
Listen to samples from "Astro Coast" at Amazon.com.
Patrick Varine writes for the Sussex Countian. This column is the opinion of the writer and not of the newspaper.
